Argyll - 218 places to stay

If Scotland could be miniaturised into a bite-sized highlights package fashioned from pristine sea lochs, unspoiled and seemingly deserted islands, and twisting, undulating vistas where greenery and foreboding rocky mountains fight for attention; you would have something that would look like Argyll and Bute.

Pinning together the western lowlands and highlands of Scotland, Argyll and Bute is everything that is great about Scotland. It has islands: Colonsay, Bute, Islay , Iona, Mull , Staffa, Jura, are some of the more celebrated. It has distilleries: Jura, Islay, and Lismore have enough to sate any single malt buff. It has some great roads that wind their way through mountains, and snake their way across farmland, revealing spectacular views and tranquil picnic stops. It has beautiful towns, whose charms are resistant to the modern life’s stresses, faithfully preserved as if coated in some invisible aspic. Argyll and Bute is coated with dense forestry, home to deer, hawks and buzzards. Oh, and the area boasts more coastline than France – some 3,000 miles or thereabouts. Which, on the face of it, should satisfy anyone who ‘does like to be beside the seaside’.

Not to mention its numerous castles and gardens, all offering a glimpse of Scotland’s history. Scotland, as a nation, was born in the 6th Century, when the Scots, a tribe from Ireland, arrived on Scotland’s west coast. Until then, Scotland was divided between a variety of peoples; the Picts, Britons, Scots all shared the country. Eventually, the Scots would become the predominant race, and the nation took their name. The Scots first settled near Kilmartin, the site of Dunadd Fort can lay claim to being the start of Scotland as we know it. The Isle of Bute was once the retreat of kings; these days it is no less regal, but it is for everyone, offering bucket and spade holidays and plenty of manicured gardens and grand buildings to potter around. Mount Stuart , the home and gardens of the Marquess of Stuart case in point. Argyll’s midriff, is full of history, and it tells it with characteristic verve. Castle Sween is Scotland’s oldest surviving castle, dating back to the 12th Century. Saint Columba brought Christianity to Scotland during his 6th Century crusade; the abbey at Iona, and Saint Columba’s cave both date back to the very roots of the religion’s influence in Scotland’s culture.

The Dukes of Argyll, members of the Clan Campbell, one of Scotland’s most powerful families, would sit a comfortable third behind sea and glacier in terms of shaping Argyll. But their legacy lives on in the region. Inveraray , on the banks of Loch Fyne , is home to their seat, and is a picturesque coastal village, whitewashed and seafaring. An old cutter lies by its pier, enjoying a semi-retirement as the Arctic Penguin Maritime Heritage Centre. Inveraray jail is a must visit, too. Fear not, the prisoners have checked out; after climbing the 126 feet of Inveraray’s bell tower, a look at 19th Century prison life might be just the thing to quieten the kids down, and maybe set them on the path of law and order. If not, you can bribe them with chips and all manner of confectionary on sale on the town’s high street.

History is tucked into every nook and cranny of this magnificent region. Mountains and valleys sculpted by glacier have granted Argyll a heritage of sea lochs, which stretch like fingers into Scotland’s western flank, bringing with them great biodiversity – the sea birds, porpoises, seals, and marine life is spectacular. And discovering this is a huge part of Argyll’s attraction. With so much coastline, Argyll is a shangri-la for watersports enthusiasts. Not content with its sea lochs, Loch Lomond – Scotland’s largest freshwater loch – lies just within the region’s boundary. Jet-skiing, windsurfing, water-skiing, and diving are all popular. Yachting enthusiasts are drawn to the waters of the Cowals of Bute, where the conditions for sailing are near perfect – particularly in the summer months of July and August.

Loch Fyne offers some magnificent diving, its deep water dives are home to a bounty of marine life – sponges, cold-water corals and shoals of fish inhabit waters fed by the Atlantic. Anglers of all disciplines – sea, coarse and game – will be in clover with Argyll’s waters. Many of Argyll’s islands are home to some excellent trout lochs, while the sea lochs in summer offer the kids a fighting chance of catching a mackerel or ten. Hillwalking, horse riding, bird watching; Argyll offers it all. Wildlife enthusiasts may want to take an island tour to Ettrick Bay or Scalpsie Bay; the seals call it home, and they and the sea birds and porpoises offer the perfect antidote to the uncouth stress of the city.

It could take months to discover all of Argyll and Bute. But within its borders lie a number of holiday opportunities: from an activity packed holiday spent on the brine at the tiller of a yacht, or on foot, tramping through the rugged terrain, breathing in the freshest of air; to a more sedentary driving, stopping off for oysters at Loch Fyne, over-indulging and bingeing on tea and scones, or smuggling your family off to an island. The only downside is the blood-thirst of the midges and getting the time off work